Method for clean fiber recovery from contaminated articles

ABSTRACT

A method ( 10 ) for cleaning fibers from a contaminated article is disclosed. The method ( 10 ) can include pulping ( 20 ) a contaminated article to separate the fibers or filaments from the contaminated article in a first solution to provide dissociated pulped fibers. The method ( 10 ) can also include washing ( 26 ) the dissociated pulped fibers by forming a suspension comprising the dissociated pulped fibers from the contaminated article and a detergent, applying a magnetic field to the suspension, and mixing the suspension to wash the dissociated pulped fibers while applying the magnetic field to the suspension thereby forming washed pulped fibers. Contaminates can be removed from the suspension while washing ( 26 ) the dissociated pulped fibers. The washed pulped fibers can be rinsed and dried to provide clean fibers.

This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/192,737 filed on Jul. 15, 2015.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a method cleaning fibers ofcontaminated articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Disposable wipes or wipers are often used in place of durable cloths ina variety of cleaning situations and can provide cost advantages overdurable cloths. In industrial cleaning settings, disposable wipers arecommonly used to clean equipment, machinery, parts, and work surfacesand in the process, may come in contact with and accumulate materialssuch as industrial oil, solvents, and grease, among others. In such asetting, disposable wipers can provide multiple benefits over durablewipes. For example, disposable wipers can provide a convenienceadvantage over durable cloths in that the disposable wipers need not bere-washed or decontaminated, whereas durable cloths need to be collectedand then sent to traditional cleaning sites for washing anddecontamination. Because the durable cleansing clothes often have avariety of contaminates with very different chemical and physicalproperties, it is difficult to provide a single cleaning method orprocedure that can effectively remove all of the contaminates, which canleave some contaminates on the cleansing cloths. Additionally,disposable wipers provide the benefits of providing fresh and soft wipersurfaces for each use, avoiding metal accumulation after repeated uses,and providing potential cost advantages over durable cloths.

However, one obstacle of using disposable wipers in place of durablecloths is that the disposable wipers are typically discarded afterbecoming soiled and if the wipers contain designated hazardousmaterials, the disposable wipers must be handled properly in compliancewith federal and state hazardous waste regulations. The handling thatmay be required can include several processing steps such as thecollection, storage, and transportation of used wipers. These steps canminimize the benefits and advantages of using disposable wipers overdurable cleansing cloths.

Thus, there is a desire for a method for cleaning fibers and/orfilaments from contaminated articles, such as disposable wipers, suchthat the fibers can be recycled instead of being treated and disposed ofas solid waste. There is also a desire for a method of recycling fibersand/or filaments from contaminated articles such that the fibers and/orfilaments can be reused to manufacture new articles.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one embodiment, a method for cleaning fibers from a contaminatedarticle is disclosed. The method can include providing a contaminatedarticle comprising contaminates and at least one of fibers andfilaments. The method can also include pulping the contaminated articleto separate the at least one of fibers and filaments from thecontaminated article in a first solution to provide dissociated pulpedfibers. Additionally, the method can include forming a suspension or aslurry comprising the dissociated pulped fibers from the contaminatedarticle and a detergent. The method can also include applying a magneticfield to the pulping or to the suspension or the slurry. The method canfurther include mixing the suspension or slurry to wash the dissociatedpulped fibers while applying the magnetic field to the suspension orslurry thereby forming washed pulped fibers. The method can additionallyinclude removing contaminates from the suspension or slurry. The methodof cleaning fibers can further include removing/separating the washedpulped fibers from the suspension or slurry. Furthermore, the method caninclude rinsing the washed pulped fibers after removing the washedpulped fibers from the suspension or slurry to provide rinsed pulpedfibers. The method can further include drying the rinsed pulped fibersto provide clean fibers.

In another embodiment, a method for cleaning fibers from a contaminatedarticle is disclosed. The method can include providing a contaminatedarticle comprising contaminates and at least one of fibers andfilaments. The contaminates can include at least one of oils, greases,solvents, adhesives, and lubricants. The method can also includepre-washing the contaminated article in a pre-washing solution. Themethod can further include adding prescribed amounts of detergent acrossone or more steps. Additionally, the method can include pulping thecontaminated article in a first solution to separate the at least one offibers and filaments from the contaminated article to providedissociated pulped fibers. The pre-wash solution and the first solutioncan be heated. The method can include heating at one or more of thesteps. The method can further include applying a magnetic field to thepre-wash, or to the first solution while pulping the contaminatedarticle to provide dissociated pulped fibers. The method can alsoinclude filtering the dissociated pulped fibers from the first solutionafter pulping the contaminated article. Furthermore, the method caninclude rinsing the dissociated pulped fibers after filtering the pulpedfibers from the first solution. The method can also include forming asuspension comprising the dissociated pulped fibers from thecontaminated article and a detergent in a second solution. Also, themethod can include applying a magnetic field to the second solution. Themethod can additionally include mixing the suspension to wash thedissociated pulped fibers while applying the magnetic field to thesuspension thereby forming washed pulped fibers. The method can includeskimming the surface of the suspension to remove contaminates.Furthermore, the method can include rinsing the washed pulped fibersafter removing the washed pulped fibers from the suspension to providerinsed pulped fibers. The method can further include an acid treatmentto washed and pulped fibers and then followed by a neutralization stepto make the pH of the recycled fibers to close to neutral (e.g.,approximately pH 7.0). The pH adjustment solution can be heated. Themethod can include rinsing the treated pulped fibers to provide furtherrinsed pulped fibers. Additionally, the method can include drying thefurther rinsed pulped fibers to provide clean fibers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure thereof, directed to one of ordinaryskill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of thespecification, which makes reference to the appended figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a process schematic providing an exemplary embodiment of amethod for cleaning fibers from a contaminated article.

FIG. 2 is a representation of surfactant-separated polymericfibers/oil/grease and pulp fibers in water.

FIG. 3A is a representation of (excess) surfactant bindingpolypropylene/oil/grease and pulp fibers.

FIG. 3B is a representation of (excess) surfactant directly bindingoil/grease and pulp fibers.

FIG. 3C is a representation of (excess) surfactant binding polypropylenefibers and pulp fibers.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

In an embodiment, the present disclosure is generally directed towards amethod for cleaning fibers from a contaminated article. Each example isprovided by way of explanation and is not meant as a limitation. Forexample, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment orfigure can be used on another embodiment or figure to yield yet anotherembodiment. It is intended that the present disclosure include suchmodifications and variations.

When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the preferredembodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements. Many modifications and variations of the present disclosurecan be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.Therefore, the exemplary embodiments described above should not be usedto limit the scope of the invention.

Definitions

The term “contaminates” refers herein to solids and fluids, both organicand inorganic that can be absorbed, adsorbed, or contained by anarticle. Exemplary contaminates can include, but are not limited to,pure metals and alloys, which can be in the form of particles frommetallic surfaces; hybrid inorganic and organic composites and mixtures,such as greases, lubricants and surface coatings; inorganic materials,such as metal halides, sulfates, carbonates, hydroxides, sulfides, metaloxides, organometallics, ceramics; and organic materials, such as liquidorganic solvents, oils, and grease without lubricants.

The term “hydrophilic” refers herein to fibers or the surfaces of fiberswhich are wetted by aqueous liquids in contact with the fibers. Thedegree of wetting of the materials can, in turn, be described in termsof the contact angles and the surface tensions of the liquids andmaterials involved. Equipment and techniques suitable for measuring thewettability of particular fiber materials or blends of fiber materialscan be provided by Cahn SFA-222 Surface Force Analyzer System, or asubstantially equivalent system. When measured with this system, fibershaving contact angles less than 90 are designated “wettable” orhydrophilic, and fibers having contact angles greater than 90 aredesignated “nonwettable” or hydrophobic.

The term “meltblown” refers herein to fibers formed by extruding amolten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usuallycircular, die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converginghigh velocity heated gas (e.g., air) streams which attenuate thefilaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter,which can be a microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers arecarried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on acollecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers.Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 toButin et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Meltblownfibers are microfibers which may be continuous or discontinuous, aregenerally smaller than about 0.6 denier, and may be tacky andself-bonding when deposited onto a collecting surface.

The term “nonwoven” refers herein to materials and webs of materialwhich are formed without the aid of a textile weaving or knittingprocess. The materials and webs of materials can have a structure ofindividual fibers, filaments, or threads (collectively referred to as“fibers”) which can be interlaid, but not in an identifiable manner asin a knitted fabric. Nonwoven materials or webs can be formed from manyprocesses such as, but not limited to, meltblowing processes,spunbonding processes, carded web processes, hydroentangling processes,etc.

The term “spunbond” refers herein to small diameter fibers which areformed by extruding molten thermoplastic material as filaments from aplurality of fine capillaries of a spinnerette having a circular orother configuration, with the diameter of the extruded filaments thenbeing rapidly reduced by a conventional process such as, for example,eductive drawing, and processes that are described in U.S. Pat. No.4,340,563 to Appel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817 to Matsuki et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,992 and3,341,394 to Kinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartmann, U.S. Pat. No.3,502,538 to Peterson, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615 to Dobo et al., eachof which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Spunbondfibers are generally continuous and often have average deniers largerthan about 0.3, and in an embodiment, between about 0.6, 5 and 10 andabout 15, 20 and 40. Spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when theyare deposited on a collecting surface.

The term “wiper” or “wipe” refers herein to a non-woven or woven articlegenerally used in cleaning or wiping applications. “Wipers” or “wipes”generally include at least some percentage of pulp fibers, but anon-woven or woven article including no pulp fibers can be a “wiper” or“wipe” as used herein. “Wipes” and “wipers” as discussed herein caninclude fibers and/or filaments other than pulp fibers, including, butnot limited to, polypropylene staple fibers or filaments. Exemplary“wipers” or “wipes” include industrial cleaning wipers and paper towels.The term “wiper” can be synonymous with “wipe.”

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary method 10 for cleaning fibers from acontaminated article is illustrated. The method 10 can include providinga contaminated article comprising contaminates and at least one offibers and filaments. While the method 10 discussed herein can beconducted for a single wiper, it is preferable to clean fibers from aplurality of contaminated articles simultaneously for efficiencypurposes. The method 10 as discussed herein can be conducted on a smallscale (e.g., several grams to several hundred grams) or can be scaled upto a commercial operation for cleaning fibers from larger quantities ofcontaminated articles (e.g., several hundreds of kilograms to severaltongs or more). Some of the exemplary discussion provided herein was fortesting conducted at a small scale.

In an embodiment, the contaminated article can be a used wiper, or wipe.For example, small scale testing was conducted according to the method10 using twenty contaminated WypAll* industrial wipers manufactured byKimberly-Clark Professional (approximately 10 grams for the dry weightof each clean wiper with approximately 10 grams of contaminates). TheWypAll* industrial wiper manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Professionalinclude about 80-85% pulp fibers and about 15-20% spunbond polypropylenefibers. Thus, in one embodiment, the method 10 can be utilized forcleaning a non-woven article including pulp fibers and polymer fibers,however, the method 10 can also be utilized for cleaning contaminatedarticles including pulp fibers and polymeric filaments, 100% pulpfibers, or 100% polymeric fibers and/or filaments. The WypAll*industrial wiper includes a ratio of pulp fibers to polymeric fibers ofabout 5.67, but the method 10 discussed herein could be used to cleancontaminated articles including other ratios of pulp fibers to polymericfibers or filaments. In preferred embodiments, the method 10 can be usedwith contaminated articles including about 10-100% pulp fibers and about0-90% polymeric fibers or filaments, more preferably about 50-100% pulpfibers and about 0-50% polymeric fibers or filaments. Thus, it iscontemplated that the contaminated article used in the method 10discussed herein could include non-woven articles including ratios ofpulp fibers to polymeric fibers or filaments of at least about 0.10,more preferably, at least about 0.50, and even more preferably, at leastabout 1.0.

The method 10 can include pre-sorting and/or pre-washing 12 thecontaminated article(s). In pre-sorting and pre-washing 12, thecontaminated article(s) are first screened and sorted to separate fibersfrom other non-fiber objects such as metal parts, plastic parts,containers, etc. that are discarded together by the generators of saidcontaminated articles. The screening and/or sorting can be done eithermanually or by an automated process with metal separation capabilitiessuch as applying a magnetic field. The pre-screened and sortedcontaminated articles can then be placed in a container in a pre-washingsolution and agitated. The pre-washing solution can be water. Forexample, the pre-washing 12 conducted in the testing involved placingthe twenty contaminated wipers into a container with nineteen liters ofclean water and stirred by using a plastic or metal rod for about ten tofifteen minutes. Pre-washing 12 can cause some contaminates, such asoils, greases, and organics, to be released and rise to the top of thepre-washing solution, while other contaminates, such as metal shavings,saw dust, inorganics, and dirt can drop to the bottom of the pre-washingsolution in the container. In some cases, per-sorting and pre-washingcan be combined in a single step. For example, a magnetic field can becombined with a pre-wash system so that metals can be separated duringwashing.

In some implementations, pre-washing 12 includes using detergent in thepre-washing solution in specifically prescribed amounts—detergents arefurther described below with respect to washing 26. For example, thisprescribed amount of detergent can be quantified as a weight ratio ofdetergent to wipes. The detergent added here can be in solid state or ina liquid form. For convenience the weight ratios described hereingenerally refer to the weight ratios of real detergent actives in solidor liquid detergents to the weight of the contaminated wipers. Forexample, a liquid detergent is generally composed of a solvent (or asolvent mixture) such as water and real actives, and often the solventis the main component of the detergent liquid, e.g. as high as 99%.Additionally, it should be understood here that the actives in adetergent can be a single active or a mixture of different actives inany desired ratios. As such, the weight ratio of detergent tocontaminated wipers is generally referred to the ratio of the totaldetergent actives to contaminated wipers. In some implementations thisratio is in the range of 0.0025 to 0.10 and more preferably in the rangeof 0.01 to 0.10. Further, as discussed below and shown in Table A,preferably the detergent can be used in multiple steps of method 10 suchthat the cumulative amount of detergent used across these multiple stepsis within the above range. For example, in addition or alternative tothe pre-washing step 12, detergent can be added at steps 20 (pulping),26 (washing), or repeat 26 if necessary, or some combination thereof.

As not to be bound by theory, it is believed that excess detergentinhibits the separation of hydrophobic components (e.g., polymericfibers/oils/grease) and hydrophilic components (e.g., pulp fibers).Using the low prescribed amounts of detergent is believed to encouragethe hydrophobic and hydrophilic micelles stay in their separated statesor reduce the likelihood of the micelles binding, which, in turn,facilitates the cleaning process of method 10 and otherwise describedherein. FIG. 2 is a representation 200 of separated polymericfibers/oil/grease 202 and pulp fibers 204 in water 206.

FIG. 3A is a representation 300 of (excess) surfactant 302 formingbinding links between the first micelle on the left and the secondmicelle on the right. The first micelle has polypropylene/oil/grease 304in the middle and surfactant 302 hydrophilic heads pointing outsidewhile the second micelle with pulp fibers 306 in the middle andsurfactant 302 hydrophobic tails pointing outside. FIG. 3A shows thelink created by the surfactant 302 in the excess detergent (e.g.,detergent above the ranges prescribed herein) between the hydrophobicsurfactant tail 303 binding to (e.g., attracted to) the hydrophobicpolypropylene/oil/grease 304 and the hydrophilic surfactant head 305binding to (e.g., attracted to) the hydrophilic pulp fibers 306. It isbelieved the binding caused by the excess surfactant 302 inhibits theseparation of the polypropylene/oil/grease 304 and the pulp fibers 306,and thus inhibits the cleaning method 10. Further, the excess surfactant302 can directly bind the hydrophobic polypropylene/oil/grease 304 tothe hydrophilic pulp fibers 306.

FIG. 3B is a representation 308 of (excess) surfactant 310 directlybinding oil/grease 312 and pulp fibers 314. More particularly, FIG. 3Bshows the hydrophobic tail 309 of the excess surfactant 310 binding tothe hydrophobic oil/grease 312 and the hydrophilic head 311 of theexcess surfactant 310 binding to the hydrophilic pulp fibers 314, whichinhibits the separation of the oil/grease 312 from the pulp fibers 314.

FIG. 3C is a representation 316 of (excess) surfactant 318 bindingpolypropylene fibers 320 and pulp fibers 322. More particularly, FIG. 3Cshows the hydrophobic tail 319 of the surfactant 318 binding to thehydrophobic polypropylenes fibers 320 and the hydrophilic head 321 ofthe surfactant 318 binding to the hydrophilic pulp fibers 322 therebycreating an undesired link between the pulp fibers 322 and thepolypropylene fibers 320. Managing the amount of detergent used reducesthe likelihood of the above-described excess surfactant linking.

Further, in some implementations, the pre-washing step, pulping, washingand/or rinsing step(s) or more generally any step(s) using detergent isperformed at a solution temperature of above 50° C. and preferably inthe range of 65° C. to 95° C. It is believed that raising thetemperature to these ranges can reduce the amount of detergent requiredas compared with the process performed at lower temperatures, andimprove the diffusion of the cleaning solution intogrease/adhesives/sealants for forming micelles.

Many common grease/adhesives/sealants/oils include surfactants, whichare sometimes referred to as, for example, thickeners or surface activeagents. Although these inherent surfactants aren't likely enough toforego adding additional detergent to the method 10, they can beutilized to reduce the amount of detergent needed. Example surfaceactive agents/thickener(s) include but are not limited to calciumstearate, sodium stearate, lithium stearate, lithium 12-hydroxystearate,as well as mixtures of these components. In addition to traditionalsurfactants, some grease and adhesives use solid additives includinggraphite, molybdenum disulphide, limes, and others. Theseagents/thickeners can be polar or mixed with polar components (e.g.,water) such that they also can help to attract water into grease andother contaminates for forming micelles and facilitating the cleaningprocess and method 10. Particularly, the penetration of water intointerior of a, for example, oil/grease particle/aggregate with the helpof thickener/detergent helps to break down oil/greaseparticles/aggregates so that they can be detached from fiber surfacesand then into water phase to encourage the cleaning process herein.

Table A, from small scale testing, shows the effect of prescribeddetergent use. More particularly, Table A shows that using excessdetergent in a single step (e.g., detergent actives to dirty wipe ratioat 0.30) is not very effective for reducing the oil/grease levels incomparison to partitioning the detergent into several small portions andthen using those partitions in several steps. For example, by using lesstotal detergent in three steps (e.g., from 0.30 in a single step to0.075 in three steps, for example, 0.03 in step 1, 0.03 in step 2, and0.015 in step 3), the cleaning efficacy can be improved significantly(e.g., from residue 36,500 to 2,140).

TABLE A Weight Ratio of Added Detergent Added in Oil &Grease ResidueDetergent and Used Single or Multiple from Recycled Dry Fibers DetergentWipes (kg/kg) Steps (ppm) No Detergent No Detergent No Detergent 115,000An aqueous detergent 0.30 A Single Washing 36,500 with three actives:Step C12-15 Ethoxylated 0.075 Three Washing 2,140 Alcohols (~5-10%)Steps: C14-15 Ethoxylated Step 1: 0.03 Alcohols (~5-10%) Step 2: 0.03Sodium Carbonate (~5-10%) Step 3: 0.015 Note: The weight of thedetergent is the total weight of actives and water.

While preferred, the pre-sorting and/or pre-washing 12 of thecontaminated article(s) is not necessary to the method 10 describedherein. The excess pre-washing solution 14 used in pre-washing 12 can bedirected to a waste-water facility 16 for further processing.

The method 10 can also include cutting 18 the contaminated article(s) toreduce the size of the contaminated article(s). In the small scaletesting conducted using the wipers, the pre-washed wipers were removedfrom the container after pre-washing 12 and the wipers were cut into aplurality of rectangular pieces using a paper cutter. Cutting 18 of thecontaminated article(s) during method 10 is merely optional.

The method 10 can also include pulping 20 the contaminated article(s).Pulping 20 of the contaminated article(s) can be conducted by placingthe contaminated article(s) in a solution, which can be water, andagitating and mixing the contaminated article(s) to separate the fibersfrom the contaminated article(s) to provide dissociated pulped fibers.

Pulping 20 can be done by utilizing different pulping tools, dependingupon the amount of wipers to be pulped, the fibers comprising thecontaminated wipers (e.g., short fibers or continuous fibers), and themanufacturing methods involved (e.g. air-laid or wet-laid with latex orwet strength enhancers as binders, or hydroentangled or co-formed webswith pulp fibers and continuous filaments, etc). For wipers with onlypulp fibers or wipers with pulp and staple fibers, traditional pulperscommonly used in paper industry such as Hollander types or (or Valleybeaters) are preferred. In some cases, simple blenders commonly used infood industry may be sufficient for pulping 20 a small amount of wiperswith only pulp and staple synthetic fibers.

In some circumstances, pulping 20 for wipers with continuous filaments(with or without pulp fibers) may not be efficiently pulped by usingtraditional pulpers used in paper industry as continuous filaments maynot be easily broken or cut to short staple fibers. In these instances,special pulpers, such as Tornado types of pulpers, are required to breakand/or cut down the continuous filaments to short staple fibers. Tornadopulpers are known to have specially designed motors as well as fiberstretching and cutting mechanisms so that continuous filaments in thewipers can be stretched/cut/pulped.

In a preferred embodiment, the solution is heated during the pulping 20of the contaminated article(s), and more particularly, it is preferableto heat the solution to at least about 50° C. Not to be by bound bytheory, but it is believed that heating the solution for the pulping 20provided benefits to help relax the fibrous structure matrix and alsoincrease the solubility as well as the dispensability of both organicand inorganic contaminates in the solution. In particular, contaminatedarticle(s) including polymeric fibers (e.g., spunbond polypropylenefibers) can be softened by such heat, and the softening can lead torelaxation of reduction of entanglement among fibers in the article(s).In the testing conducted on a small scale, the pulping 20 was performedon the cut, rectangular pieces of the wipers using a Hollander Beater bymixing the pieces of the wipers in twenty-two liters of water that washeated to 60° C., and pulped for approximately ten minutes.

Additionally, the pulping 20 of the wipers can be performed within amagnetic field to remove contaminates as they are released from thecontaminated article(s) during pulping 20. Not to be bound by theory,but it is believed that a magnetic field can be advantageous over (or inaddition to) detergents or other traditional cleaning means in removalof water-insoluble and/or heavily colored metal containing contaminatesfrom pulped slurries. Traces of metal containing contaminates withstrong magnetic susceptibility may be present in at least some of theused wipers, if not at least a majority of the wipers, because ofpotential for direct contact with various industrial machine parts, ormetal, ceramic, or other inorganic coated surfaces that are frequentlycleaned.

Without limiting to certain specific metals such as magneticallysusceptible metals or other forms of iron, nickel, iron oxides, nickeloxides, iron or nickel containing ceramics, such traces of metalcontaining contaminates with strong magnetic susceptibility can functionas the “seeds” for the magnetic removal of metal containing contaminateswith weak magnetic susceptibility. The “seeds” as used herein can meanthat when metal containing contaminates with strong magneticsusceptibility are in mixed states with other metal-containingcontaminates with weak magnetic susceptibility, the metal containingcontaminates with strong magnetic susceptibility will bring at leastsome of the metal-containing contaminates with weak magneticsusceptibility to the magnet surface so that the latter can also bemagnetically removed. As used herein, mixed states can mean that theyare either physically aggregated together by charge-charge interactionsor bound together by the existence of oil and grease. Here, oil andgrease, particularly the adhering, or sticky, portions of oil andgrease, can effectively function as a binder or a trap to harbortogether any metal containing contaminates with varied magneticsusceptibilities.

The “seeds” function has further implications in terms of helping theremoval of metal containing lubricants that are commonly pre-added intovarious industrial oils and greases. Examples of these pre-addedlubricants include, but are not limited to, molybdenum-based sulfides(e.g., MoS₂) and their organometallic derivatives such as oil-solublemolybdenum thio-phosphates and thio-carbamates. These pre-addedlubricants, particularly MoS₂ and its derivatives, are among the hardestmetal-containing contaminates to be removed from used wipers becausethey are so stable to traditional cleaning methods such as hightemperatures, oxidants, acids, and detergents. However, the sulfurlayers in MoS₂ structures have a strong affinity for metallic surfacesand some of these sulfur atoms are available to interact and/or reactwith metal surfaces such as gold and iron, and thus, magneticallysusceptible aggregates between metal shavings or saw dust and MoS₂ canbe formed when oils and/or grease from metallic surfaces weretransferred onto wipers during cleaning.

It is preferable to use a magnetic field strength during pulping 20 ofat least about 5000 Gauss on the magnet surface. For example, themagnetic field used in the pulping 20 of the wipers for the small scaletesting conducted was created by two bar type neodymium rare earthmagnets, one inch in diameter and ten inches long, available at AmazingMagnets. The exemplary magnets used each included multiple individualmagnets assembled in a stainless steel tube with like poles opposing oneanother. The bar type rare earth magnets used were each rated to providea surface magnetic field strength of at least 10000 Gauss on at leastsome parts of the stainless steel tube surface of the magnet. During thepulping 20, the magnets were placed in the Hollander Beater to collectas many contaminates as possible, including metal shavings, oils,greases, and inorganics. Of course, it is contemplated that the magneticfield could also be generated by providing an electromagnetic field asan alternative to, or in addition to, one or more magnets. Use of such amagnetic field during the pulping 20 stage is optional in method 10.

The method 10 can also include filtering 22 the dissociated pulpedfibers and contaminates. When pulping 20 the wipers, the dissociatedpulped fibers and contaminates can form a dark or other colored slurrydepending upon the colors of the contaminants. After pulping 20 thewipers, the dissociated pulped fibers and contaminates in the solutioncan be put through a filtering 22 process to help remove some of thecontaminates from the solution that are mixed or suspended or formingemulsified oil/grease/water droplets in the solution. In particular, thefiltering 22 under pressure can remove light oils and soiloil/grease/lubricant particles that are already mixed and/or suspended.During or after filtering 22 the dissociated pulped fibers, thedissociated pulped fibers can also be rinsed. The excess solution 24after filtering 22 (with or without rinsing) can be sent to awaste-water facility 16 for further processing. The filtering 22 can beaccomplished by running the dissociated pulped fibers, contaminates, andsolution through a sieve, or any other known filtering equipment.Filtering 22 the dissociated pulped fibers, while preferred, is not arequired aspect of the disclosure.

The method 10 can further include washing 26 the dissociated pulpedfibers of the contaminated article(s) to provide washed pulped fibers.After filtering 22, the dissociated pulped fibers can be combined with adetergent and a solution to form a suspension. The suspension can beheld within a container and the solution used during washing 26 can bewater. The small scale process for method 10 included combining thedissociated pulped fibers with twelve liters of water with the desiredamount of detergent. Washing 26 can include mixing the suspension thatincludes the dissociated pulped fibers and the detergent in thesolution, for example, mixing with a mechanical mixer at a speed toeffectively swirl and agitate the suspension in the container. In thesmall scale testing conducted, the mixing was performed using a variableRPM Lightening Mixer, although any equipment capable of adequatelymixing the suspension can be used in the washing 26 of method 10.

In a preferred embodiment, the solution added to the suspension forwashing 26 is heated, and more particularly, it is preferable to heatthe solution to at least about 50° C. Not to be bound by theory, but itis believed that heating the solution for washing 26 can help providebenefits to fibrous structure matrix of any dissociated pulped fibersthat may still be entangled or woven, and can also increase thesolubility as well as the dispensability of both organic and inorganiccontaminates in the solution.

Sample detergents that can be used include detergents, surfactants, orsurfactant combinations that are commonly used for oil and greasecleaning or in personal care hygiene and cleaning products. Suchsurfactant or surfactant combinations can be selected from any of thefollowing exemplary surfactant families: anionic, cationic, carboxylic,zwitterionic, and non-ionic series of surfactants and theircombinations. Specific examples include, but are not limited to tritons,sodium stearates, alkyl benzenesulfonates, lignin sulfonates,dipropylene glycol methyl ethers, and alcohol ethoyxlates.

Although the above mentioned surfactant types may all suitable for thewashing 26 described herein, the cleaning efficacy and the amount usedfor reaching the said cleaning efficacy may vary based on the surfactantor detergent used, for example, as described above with respect todetergent use in the pre-washing step 12. In some cases, cleaningtemperature and cleaning time may also be different depending on thesurfactant or detergent used. However, preferred surfactant systems thatare suitable for the washing 26 described herein should be effective tohandle heavy and sticky portions of oils and grease, which in some usedwipers can be up to or even double the wiper's fiber weight (e.g., a 10gram clean wiper may absorb/wipe up to 10-20 grams of oils/grease). Theheavy and sticky portions of oils/grease often consist of high molecularweight hydrophobic polymers (e.g., polybutenes, silicones,polyurathanes, fluorocarbon polymers, etc.) that will requiresurfactants to have strong hydrophobic affinities to them. Accordingly,surfactant systems that have long hydrophobic side alkyl chains willgenerally perform better than others.

One example of such surfactants, as described in Table A include is afamily of alcohol ethoxylates (AEs), in which a long side alkyl chainusually has 12 to 15 carbon atoms and also combined with some ethyleneoxide units (3 to 14). In another embodiment, a sample detergent thatcan be used in the washing 26 described herein is a mixture of alcoholethoxylates (AEs) with C12-15 alkyl side chains and di-propylene glycolmethyl ether at about ratios ranges of 1:5 to 1:40 (or generallyreferred it to Surfactant Chemistry A or SC A). Di-propylene glycolmethyl ether is an organic solvent, but is fully soluble in water sothat it can help further for breaking down “heavy & sticky” portions ofoils/grease.

When washing 26 the dissociated pulped fibers, the method 10 can includeapplying a magnetic field to the suspension. It is preferable to use amagnetic field strength during washing 26 of at least about 5000 Gauss.The magnetic field can be created by at least one magnet. In the smallscale testing conducted, two bar type neodymium rare earth magnets wereused, each being one inch in diameter and ten inches long, available atAmazing Magnets. The exemplary magnets used each included multipleindividual magnets assembled in a stainless steel tube with like polesopposing one another. The bar type rare earth magnets used were eachrated to provide a surface magnetic field strength of up to 10400 Gausson at least some parts of the stainless steel tube surface of themagnet. The magnet(s) used to provide the magnetic field during washing26 are preferably placed in the container such that each of the magnetsare at least partially submerged in the suspension. Preferably, themagnet(s) are disposed and held near the sides of the container, so asto avoid interference with the mixing of the suspension during washing26. Of course, it is contemplated that the magnetic field could also beapplied to the suspension by providing an electromagnetic field as analternative to, or in addition to, one or more magnets.

When washing 26 the dissociated pulped fibers while applying a magneticfield to the suspension, contaminates can begin to accumulate near thetop of the suspension. The method 10 can include removing thecontaminates from the suspension as part of the washing 26 of thedissociated pulped fibers. In the small scale testing conducted, thecontaminates rising to the top surface of the suspension were removed byskimming the surface of the suspension with a scraper, which can berepeated as more contaminates build on the surface of the suspension.The more contaminates that can be removed from the suspension byskimming the surface provides less contaminates for further processingof the dissociated pulped fibers in the method 10. In the small scaletesting conducted, the contaminates rising to the top surface of thesuspension were substantially used oils 28, which can be collectedseparately and recycled, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Additionally, some contaminates can begin to accumulate on the magnetsdue to the magnetic field being applied to the suspension when washing26 the dissociated pulped fibers in the suspension. In the small scaletesting conducted, it was found that the substantial majority ofcontaminates accumulating on the magnets were solid, such as metalcontaminates and some fibers, mainly staple fibers from pulped spunbond.Because of the hydrophobic nature of pulped spunbond fibers, they havemuch higher affinity to oil/grease than pulp fibers, and as such, thepulped spunbond fibers can be part of the oil/grease/metal containingcontaminate aggregates that can be pulled onto a magnetic surfacethrough the interactions of magnet and “seed” metal containingcontaminates with strong magnetic susceptibility. Additionally, thepulped spunbond fibers can have traces of inorganic additives eitherinherited from polymer manufacturing or added during fiber spinning.These traces of added inorganics can further enhance the magneticsusceptibility of spunbond fibers. As the contaminates accumulate on themagnet(s) (either directly to the magnet surface and/or indirectly viahydrophobic fibers that are attracted themselves to the magnets), themagnets can periodically be removed from the suspension and wiped toremove contaminates from the suspension.

Advantageously, applying a magnetic field while washing 26 thedissociated pulp fibers with detergent can remove a wide variety ofcontaminates from the suspension. As noted above, if the contaminatesinclude metal or other particles having intrinsic magnetic properties,then the magnetic field being applied during washing 26 can attract notonly such particles, but also hydrophobic fibers including contaminates.Therefore, even if the contaminated article(s) includes contaminates inwhich the substantial portion of contaminates do not include metalparticles or particles having intrinsic magnetic properties (e.g., oil,grease, solvents, and lubricants), applying a magnetic field to thesuspension during washing 26 can help to remove more contaminates thanonly using a detergent during washing 26. In some circumstances, thecontaminated article(s) can include contaminates devoid of metalparticles or particles having intrinsic magnetic properties (e.g., oil,grease, solvents, and lubricants), yet applying a magnetic field to thesuspension while washing 26 can help to remove more contaminates thanusing only a detergent during washing 26.

The washing 26 of the dissociated pulped fibers can occur for a timeperiod sufficient to wash the dissociated pulped fibers. In a preferredembodiment of method 10, the magnetic field can be applied to thesuspension the majority of the time period that the washing 26 occurs.In the small scale testing conducted, the washing 26 was conducted forthirty minutes. The contaminated solution 30 and detergent from thesuspension after washing 26 can be put through a filtering mechanism andtransferred to a waste-water facility 16 for further processing toremove the washed pulped fibers from the suspension.

After washing 26 the dissociated pulped fibers to provide washed pulpedfibers, the method 10 can preferably include rinsing 32 the washedpulped fibers to remove excess detergent used in the washing 26 of thedissociated pulped fibers discussed above. The rinsing 32 can alsoprovide the benefit of removing any contaminates confined in the washedpulped fibers that were not transferred in the contaminated solution 30to the waste-water facility 16. In the small scale testing conducted,the rinsing 32 was performed in a wash box with the assistance of avacuum with twelve liters of water. As illustrated in FIG. 1, therinsing solution 34 can also be transferred to a waste-water facility 16for further processing. In some embodiments, it may be preferable toperform the rinsing 32 several times.

In preferred embodiments, the method 10 can include treating 36 thewashed pulped fibers with a pH adjustment solution to provide treatedpulped fibers. Treating 36 the washed pulped fibers can occur after thewashed pulped fibers are removed from the wash box used in rinsing 32the washed pulped fibers if rinsing occurred 32. Alternatively, thetreating 36 can occur in the same wash box used in rinsing 32 the washedpulped fibers. Treating 36 the washed pulped fibers in a pH adjustmentsolution can further remove metal contaminates, especially homogeneousmetal ions and pH sensitive metal oxides and other metal compounds thatcan become soluble in a pH adjustment solution. The treating 36 caninclude adding the washed pulped fibers to a pH adjustment solution andmixing the washed pulped fibers in the pH adjustment solution.

In one embodiment, the pH adjustment solution can include a simple acidsuch as adding pre-made solutions of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid,and/or other pH adjustment agents such as uronium hydrogen sulfate, anacid-base adduct of urea and sulfuric acid. The uranium hydrogen sulfatecan further enhance the removal of contaminates as it can also functionas a chelation agent to metal ions. The chelation can bring more ionsfrom pulped fibers to water solutions so that they can be removed fromfibers. In another aspect, it can be expected that residual uroniumhydrogen sulfate left in recycled fibers may have some antimicrobialactivity, which may be beneficial to recycling pulp fibers as moldgrowth can be prohibited.

In the small scale testing conducted, the treating 36 included addingthe washed pulped fibers to a pH adjustment solution created by mixingtwelve liters of water and adjusting the pH to about 2.0 to about 2.5 byadding a solution including uranium hydrogen sulfate. The pH adjustmentsolution can be heated (preferably to at least about 50° C.), and in thesmall scale testing conducted, was heated to about 60° C. to about 65°C. The washed pulped fibers were mixed for approximately thirty minutesin the small scale testing conducted with the aid of a variable RPMLightening Mixer. The used pH adjustment solution 38 can be put througha filtering mechanism and directed to a waste-water treatment facility16 for further processing.

If the method 10 includes treating 36 the washed pulped fibers with a pHadjustment solution, the method 10 can also preferably include aneutralization step to help bring the fiber pH back to neutral range(e.g. ˜pH 7.0). The neutralization can be performed, for example, byadding a sodium hydroxide solution (for example a one molar solution ora carbonate or phosphate buffer solution as commonly used in pH controlsituations) to the fibers after pH adjustment step. The neutralizationcan be monitored by monitoring pH by either using a pH paper or a pHmonitoring device. Alternatively, the neutralization can be performed,for example, by rinsing 40 the treated pulped fibers after the pHadjustment step as rinsing water itself is generally at pH levels of ˜pH7.0 and continued rinsing can bring the fiber pH back to neutral.Similar to the discussion above regarding rinsing 32 the washed pulpedfibers after washing 26, rinsing 40 the treated pulped fibers can occurin a wash box with the assistance of a vacuum. In the small scaletesting conducted, the rinsing 40 was completed using twelve liters ofwater. In some embodiments, the wash box can be the same wash box thatthe washed pulped fibers were rinsed in. In other embodiments, therinsing 40 of the treated pulped fibers can occur in a different washbox or rinsing mechanism. The rinsed solution 42 from rinsing 40 thetreated pulped fibers can be directed to a waste-water treatmentfacility 16 for further processing.

The method 10 can also include drying 44 the pulped fibers to provideclean fibers. Depending on the steps utilized in method 10, drying 44 toprovide clean fibers can occur after different sub-process of the method10. For example, the drying 44 can be performed on the rinsed pulpedfibers after rinsing 32 the washed pulped fibers from washing 26 if thesteps of treating 36 with a pH adjustment solution, and rinsing 42 arenot performed as part of the method 10. Alternatively, the drying 44could be performed after rinsing 40 the treated pulped fibers from thetreating 36 of the washed pulped fibers with the pH adjustment solution,such as illustrated in the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 1.Drying 44 can be performed using either air-drying or providing heatand/or forced air, as is known in the art.

The method 10 can also include testing 46 the clean fibers after drying44 for metal analysis and/or other contaminate analysis to ensure levelsof components other than fibers are at desired levels.

Advantageously, the clean fibers from method 10 can be used tomanufacture an article from recycled fibers. An article using recycledclean fibers from method 10 discussed herein can be manufactured in thesame fashion as articles manufactured from original fibers via methodsknown in the art. The clean fibers from method 10 that are beingrecycled can form 100% of the fibers of the article, or a lesserpercentage of the fibers of the article.

Small Scale Testing

Heavily contaminated wipers were tested to quantify the amounts andtypes of some of the contaminates in the wipers. The results of suchtesting analysis is shown below, in Table 1, with the regulatory levelconcentration being based on the Environmental Protection AgencyToxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). As can be seen fromTable 1, contaminated articles, such as industrial wipers, can have awide range of contaminates and quantities of contaminates, leading tothe difficulty in providing a solution that addresses each of thecontaminates effectively. Additionally, heavily contaminated wiperslikely will have contaminates forced into wiper's interior pores as wellas fiber's lumen structures, making cleaning more difficult as opposedto lightly contaminated articles where the contaminates are likelylargely on the exterior surface of the wiper.

TABLE 1 Regulatory Wiper Wiper Wiper Wiper Wiper Wiper Wiper Wiper Level1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Contaminate (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L)(mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) Oil & Grease 5 41.1 113.6 172.5 176.4 69.3 64.754.6 102.3 (HEM) Arsenic 5 0.001 6.42 7.57 1.65 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001Barium 100 2.61 92.4 108 32.3 8.9 8.97 8.06 11 Chromium 5 6.37 5.3 6.416.54 1.33 1.59 1.41 1.45 Lead 5 67.1 0.001 0.001 1.38 11.8 12.8 10.923.7

Testing was then conducted to clean heavily contaminated wipers usingdetergents and water alone, without the application of a magnetic fieldto the suspension of dissociated pulped fibers as discussed above inmethod 10 and as illustrated in FIG. 1. This testing confirmed thatheavily contaminated articles cannot be sufficiently cleaned bydetergents and water alone, as shown in Table 2 below. In both cases ofcleaning with water and detergent, or just water alone, dark fibers,particles, and dots were visually apparent on the dried fibers.

TABLE 2 TCLP Contaminate Levels Regulatory Without Level Detergent WithDetergent Contaminates (mg/L) (mg/L) SC A (mg/L) Oil & Grease 5 141.205.40 (HEM) Arsenic 5.0 3.91 0.00 Barium 100.0 60.93 3.26 Chromium 5.04.93 2.17 Lead 5.0 6.27 5.10

Table 3 below provides a summary of the removal efficacy of the method10 involving where a magnetic field was applied during the washing 26 ofthe dissociated pulped fibers with in a solution including detergent incomparison to only washing the dissociated pulped fibers with adetergent. The column titled “Dirty Wiper” provides information of thecontaminate levels in dirty wipers alone before method 10 was utilized.As shown in Table 3, applying a magnetic field while washing thedissociated pulped fibers provide enhanced removal of contaminates ascompared to use of the detergent alone and the use of the detergent anda pH adjustment. Additionally, providing an temperature in the range ofabove 50° C. (e.g., about 65° C.) and preferably between 75° C. and 90°C. when washing 26 the dissociated pulped fibers utilizing the detergentand applying a magnetic field and providing an optimized pH level ofabout 2.0 of the pH adjustment solution and a temperature of about 65°C. when treating 36 the washed pulped fibers provided substantiallyenhanced results in removing contaminates from the wipers, with each ofthe contaminates listed in the table below being below 1.0 mg/L.

TABLE 3 Determined TCLP Contaminate Levels (mg/L) Magnet + SC ADetergent (optimized temp) + pH SC A Magnet + SC A adjustment SC ADetergent + Detergent + pH (optimized Detergent pH Contaminates DirtyWiper adjustment temp) only adjustment Oil & Grease 99.31 4.00 0.7335.40 1.77 (HEM) Arsenic 1.96 0.00 0.001 0.00 0.00 Barium 34.03 0.550.001 3.26 1.71 Chromium 3.80 0.00 0.001 2.17 1.69 Lead 15.96 1.10 0.0015.10 2.47

EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

A method for cleaning fibers from a contaminated article, the methodcomprising: providing a contaminated article comprising contaminates andat least one of fibers and filaments; pulping the contaminated articleto separate the at least one of fibers and filaments from thecontaminated article in a first solution to provide dissociated pulpedfibers; forming a suspension comprising the dissociated pulped fibersfrom the contaminated article and a detergent; applying a magnetic fieldto the suspension; mixing the suspension to wash the dissociated pulpedfibers while applying the magnetic field to the suspension therebyforming washed pulped fibers; removing contaminates from the suspension;removing the washed pulped fibers from the suspension; rinsing thewashed pulped fibers after removing the washed pulped fibers from thesuspension to provide rinsed pulped fibers; and drying the rinsed pulpedfibers to provide clean fibers.

Embodiment 2

The method of embodiment 1, wherein removing contaminates from thesuspension comprises skimming a surface of the suspension ascontaminates accumulate to the surface of the suspension.

Embodiment 3

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising:pre-sorting and pre-washing the contaminated article prior to pulpingthe contaminated article, the pre-washing comprising stirring thecontaminated article in a pre-washing solution.

Embodiment 4

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising:treating the washed pulped fibers with a pH adjustment solution afterremoving the washed pulped fibers from the suspension to provide treatedpulped fibers.

Embodiment 5

The method of embodiment 4, further comprising: neutralizing and rinsingthe treated pulped fibers to provide rinsed pulped fibers.

Embodiment 6

The method of embodiment 4, wherein treating the pulped fibers with thepH adjustment solution comprises heating the pH adjustment solution toat least about 50° Celsius.

Embodiment 7

The method of embodiment 6, wherein pulping the contaminated article toseparate the at least one of fibers and filaments from the contaminatedarticle further comprises heating the first solution to at least about50° Celsius.

Embodiment 8

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein pulping thecontaminated article to separate the at least one of fibers andfilaments from the contaminated article to provide dissociated pulpedfibers occurs within a magnetic field.

Embodiment 9

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein forming thesuspension comprises providing the dissociated pulped fibers and thedetergent in a second solution, and wherein the magnetic field appliedto the suspension is provided by at least one magnet, the at least onemagnet being at least partially submerged in the suspension.

Embodiment 10

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein thecontaminates are selected from the group consisting of oils, greases,solvents, adhesives, and lubricants.

Embodiment 11

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising:filtering the dissociated pulped fibers from the first solution prior toforming the suspension with the dissociated pulped fibers and thedetergent.

Embodiment 12

The method of embodiment 11, further comprising: rinsing the dissociatedpulped fibers after filtering the dissociated pulped fibers from thefirst solution and prior to forming the suspension with the dissociatedpulped fibers and the detergent.

Embodiment 13

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising:cutting the contaminated article into a plurality of strips prior topulping the contaminated article.

Embodiment 14

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein thecontaminated article is a non-woven article.

Embodiment 15

The method of embodiment 14, wherein the non-woven article comprisespulp fibers and at least one of polymeric fibers and polymericfilaments.

Embodiment 16

The method of embodiment 14, wherein the non-woven article comprisespulp fibers and polymeric fibers, and wherein the ratio of pulp fibersto polymeric fibers is at least 0.5.

Embodiment 17

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the magneticfield applied to the suspension has a strength of at least 5000 gauss.

Embodiment 18

The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein a pluralityof contaminated articles are cleaned simultaneously.

Embodiment 19

A method for manufacturing an article from recycled fibers, wherein theclean fibers from the method according to any one of the precedingembodiments are used in the manufacturing of the article.

Embodiment 20

A method for cleaning fibers from a contaminated article, the methodcomprising: providing a contaminated article comprising contaminates andat least one of fibers and filaments, the contaminates comprising atleast one of oils, greases, solvents, and lubricants; pre-washing thecontaminated article in a pre-washing solution; pulping the contaminatedarticle in a first solution to separate the at least one of fibers andfilaments from the contaminated article to provide dissociated pulpedfibers; the first solution being heated; applying a magnetic field tothe first solution while pulping the contaminated article to providedissociated pulped fibers; filtering the dissociated pulped fibers fromthe first solution after pulping the contaminated article; rinsing thedissociated pulped fibers after filtering the pulped fibers from thefirst solution; forming a suspension comprising the dissociated pulpedfibers from the contaminated article and a detergent in a secondsolution; applying a magnetic field to the second solution; mixing thesuspension to wash the dissociated pulped fibers while applying themagnetic field to the suspension thereby forming washed pulped fibers;skimming the surface of the suspension to remove contaminates; rinsingthe washed pulped fibers after removing the washed pulped fibers fromthe suspension to provide rinsed pulped fibers; treating the rinsedpulped fibers with a pH adjustment solution to provide treated pulpedfibers, the pH adjustment solution being heated; rinsing the treatedpulped fibers to provide further rinsed pulped fibers; and drying thefurther rinsed pulped fibers to provide clean fibers.

Embodiment 21

The method of embodiment 20 wherein an amount of the detergent isquantified as a weight ratio of the detergent actives to thecontaminated article and is in a range of 0.0025 to 0.10 and morepreferably in a range of 0.01 to 0.10.

Embodiment 22

The method of embodiment 21, wherein the detergent is added during theforming step and at least one of the pre-wash and mixing steps and atotal amount of detergent added during all steps is in the range of0.0025 to 0.10 and more preferably in the range of 0.010 to 0.10.

All documents cited in the Detailed Description are, in relevant part,incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not tobe construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to thepresent invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of aterm in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definitionof the term in a document incorporated by references, the meaning ordefinition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, oneor more steps of the method 10 can be removed from the method 10, oradjusted in order, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims allsuch changes and modifications that are within the scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for cleaning fibers from a contaminatedarticle, the method comprising: providing a contaminated articlecomprising contaminates and at least one of fibers and filaments;pulping the contaminated article to separate the at least one of fibersand filaments from the contaminated article in a first solution toprovide dissociated pulped fibers; forming a suspension comprising thedissociated pulped fibers from the contaminated article and a detergent;applying a magnetic field to the suspension; mixing the suspension towash the dissociated pulped fibers while applying the magnetic field tothe suspension thereby forming washed pulped fibers; removingcontaminates from the suspension; removing the washed pulped fibers fromthe suspension; rinsing the washed pulped fibers after removing thewashed pulped fibers from the suspension to provide rinsed pulpedfibers; and drying the rinsed pulped fibers to provide clean fibers. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein removing contaminates from the suspensioncomprises skimming a surface of the suspension as contaminatesaccumulate to the surface of the suspension.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: Pre-sorting and pre-washing the contaminated articleprior to pulping the contaminated article, the pre-washing comprisingstirring the contaminated article in a pre-washing solution.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: treating the washed pulped fiberswith a pH adjustment solution after removing the washed pulped fibersfrom the suspension to provide treated pulped fibers.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising: Neutralization and rinsing the treatedpulped fibers to provide rinsed pulped fibers.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein treating the pulped fibers with the pH adjustment solutioncomprises heating the pH adjustment solution to at least about 50°Celsius.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein pulping the contaminatedarticle to separate the at least one of fibers and filaments from thecontaminated article further comprises heating the first solution to atleast about 50° Celsius.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein pulping thecontaminated article to separate the at least one of fibers andfilaments from the contaminated article to provide dissociated pulpedfibers occurs within a magnetic field.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinforming the suspension comprises providing the dissociated pulped fibersand the detergent in a second solution, and wherein the magnetic fieldapplied to the suspension is provided by at least one magnet, the atleast one magnet being at least partially submerged in the suspension.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the contaminates are selected fromthe group consisting of oils, greases, solvents, and lubricants.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: filtering the dissociated pulpedfibers from the first solution prior to forming the suspension with thedissociated pulped fibers and the detergent.
 12. The method of claim 11,further comprising: rinsing the dissociated pulped fibers afterfiltering the dissociated pulped fibers from the first solution andprior to forming the suspension with the dissociated pulped fibers andthe detergent.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: cuttingthe contaminated article into a plurality of strips prior to pulping thecontaminated article.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein thecontaminated article is a non-woven article.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the non-woven article comprises pulp fibers and at least one ofpolymeric fibers and polymeric filaments.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein the non-woven article comprises pulp fibers and polymericfibers, and wherein the ratio of pulp fibers to polymeric fibers is atleast 0.5.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field appliedto the suspension has a strength of at least 5000 gauss.
 18. The methodof claim 1, wherein a plurality of contaminated articles are cleanedsimultaneously.
 19. A method for manufacturing an article from recycledfibers, wherein the clean fibers from the method according to claim 1are used in the manufacturing of the article.
 20. A method for cleaningfibers from a contaminated article, the method comprising: providing acontaminated article comprising contaminates and at least one of fibersand filaments, the contaminates comprising at least one of oils,greases, solvents, and lubricants; pre-sorting and pre-washing thecontaminated article in a pre-washing solution; pulping the contaminatedarticle in a first solution to separate the at least one of fibers andfilaments from the contaminated article to provide dissociated pulpedfibers; the first solution being heated; applying a magnetic field tothe first solution while pulping the contaminated article to providedissociated pulped fibers; filtering the dissociated pulped fibers fromthe first solution after pulping the contaminated article; rinsing thedissociated pulped fibers after filtering the pulped fibers from thefirst solution; forming a suspension comprising the dissociated pulpedfibers from the contaminated article and a detergent in a secondsolution; applying a magnetic field to the second solution; mixing thesuspension to wash the dissociated pulped fibers while applying themagnetic field to the suspension thereby forming washed pulped fibers;skimming the surface of the suspension to remove contaminates; rinsingthe washed pulped fibers after removing the washed pulped fibers fromthe suspension to provide rinsed pulped fibers; treating the rinsedpulped fibers with a pH adjustment solution to provide treated pulpedfibers, the pH adjustment solution being heated; neutralizing andrinsing the treated pulped fibers to provide further rinsed pulpedfibers; and drying the further rinsed pulped fibers to provide cleanfibers.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein an amount of the detergent isquantified as a weight ratio of the detergent to the contaminatedarticle and is in a range of 0.0025 to 0.10 and more preferably in arange of 0.010 to 0.10.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein thedetergent is added during the forming step and at least one of thepre-wash and mixing steps and a total amount of detergent added duringall steps is in the range of 0.0025 to 0.10 and more preferably in therange of 0.010 to 0.10.